COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Catholic Diocese of Columbus has again upheld its dismissal of Carla Hale, the 19-year Bishop Watterson High School teacher fired during Holy Week because she mentioned her partner in a newspaper obituary.
In a 40-word, one-paragraph letter, Catholic Schools Superintendent Lucia McQuaide made no mention of the circumstances surrounding the decision of diocesan officials to fire Hale.
She concludes: “I have decided to uphold the termination of your teaching contract.”
Hale was fired March 28, about a month after her mother’s obituary appeared in The Columbus Dispatch and listed Hale’s partner, Julie, among mourning family members.
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A Watterson parent complained to Bishop Frederick Campbell, and Hale was fired by Watterson Principal Marian Hutson. Hutson told Hale in April that she wouldn’t reconsider the church’s action, either.
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She has two weeks to request binding arbitration through her union contract, and Hale already has filed a grievance over her firing. Her union, the Central Ohio Association of Catholic Educators, has refused to back her, though.
In a statement released through her attorney, Hale said: “I’ve attended graduation ceremonies for nineteen years. It was very difficult for me to be excluded this year.”
Attorney Thomas Tootle said: “Seeking reinstatement from the Superintendent is one more step in a process that we must exhaust before we can bring this matter to a meaningful resolution before a neutral arbitrator.”
